Research Projects

Public Funding

CUAHC (Cooperative UAH car)

CUAH is a public project, funded by the General Traffic Division of Spain (2015)
which aims to advance cooperative automation, bridging the gap between lab demos and real-life implementation. The purpose of this project is to give a general overview of the different designs used to adapt a factory vehicle, with no access to low-level control systems, into a fully-automated cooperative vehicle fit to compete in the GCDC2016.

TEDS4BEE (Test of Digital Services for Buildings Energy Efficiency)

TEDS4BEE is a CIP project, funded by the European Comission through the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (2013-2015)
with the aim to reduce energy consumption in public buildings with the help of the EMMOS (Energy Management and Monitoring Operational System)
Digital Service, making it possible to collect, store and analyze consumption data and other parameters that influence energy consumption, such
as temperature, humidity, NOx, CO2, comfort level, light intensity, etc.

OUTSMART

OUTSMART is a FI-PPP project, funded by the European Comission through the Future Internet Public-Private Partnership Programme (2011-2013).
The goal of OUTSMART is to contribute to the Future Internet (FI) by aiming at the development of five innovation eco-systems.
These eco-systems facilitate the creation of a large variety of pilot services and technologies that contribute to optimised supply and
access to services and resources in urban areas. This will contribute to more sustainable utility provision and, through increased efficiency,
lower strain on resources and on the environment.

FOTsis (European Field Operational Test on Safe, Intelligent and Sustainable Road Operation) is a largescale field testing of the road infrastructure management systems needed for the operation of seven close-to-market cooperative I2V, V2I & I2I technologies (the FOTsis Services), in order to assess in detail both 1) their effectiveness and 2) their potential for a full-scale deployment in European roads.
Funded by the European Comission through the FP7 Programme (2011-2014).

INNPACTO PRENDE (Plataforma de Rehabilitación Energética)

PRENDE is a project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2012-2015). PRENDE creates a
TIC-based, easy to use, citizen aimed service that chains environmental and energy efficiency information to and from
specific neighbourhoods. This service aims to improve the energy efficiency of the neightbourhoods by raising awareness
and offering specific solutions to the different neighbourhood typologies identified in the project.

DINATRANS project aims to understand the dynamic behaviour of the trasition stretches of the railway between a low rigidity
and a high rigidity area. These transition stretches suffer a higher stress leading to overloads and a fast degeneration of
both the railway and the trains. This project will design a new transition stretch to reduce these effects on the railway.
Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2012-2015)

INNPRONTA. Ciudad 2020

The INNPRONTA project CIUDAD 2020 aims to achieve a significant advanced in the areas of energy efficiency, internet of
the future (IoF), internet of the things (IoT), human behavior, environmental sustainability and mobility & transport in
order to design the city of the future: sustainable, smart and efficient. CIUDAD2020 conceives, designs and implements a
new paradigm of smart, sustainable and efficient city around three fundamental axes: Energy and Efficiency, Mobility and Transport and Environmental Control.
Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2011-2014).

GUIADE's aim is the development of an autonomous public transport fleet based on a multi-modal perception of the environment, using
information collected by the vehicles from the environment as well as from the infrastructure.
Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade (2008-2011)

Sistema de mejora del posicionamiento global en vehículos de carretera para el incremento de la seguridad de los navegadores automáticos.Funded by the Regional Government of Madrid and the University of Alcalá (2007)

Private Funding

Smart Cross

SmartCross has been devised as an intelligent system for advanced management of traffic lights at pedestrian crossings. The system
watches not only the crossing area but also the pedestrian waiting zones on the sidewalks. With an all-weather, all-illumination condition
design, based on stereovision and infrared illumination, SmartCross is intended to improve urban mobility by adapting the trafiic light phases
as a function of traffic and pedestrians conditions. In addiition, SmartCross provides great savings in fuel energy and, consequently, a significant
reduction in gas emissions.
Funded by the Innovation Centre for Intelligent Infrastructures (CI3) (2011)

VISUALISE – Visual Inspection of Signs and Panels.

VISUALISE is a high-performance unit for dynamic auscultation of traffic signs on roads. It allows automatic determination
of the traffic signs conditions in regard with night visibility. By means of this Equipment it can be carried out signs retroreflection
measurements at regular traffic speed. The main technological innovation of this equipment is that test data acquisition is performed dynamically.
The system is installed in a vehicle that circulates at regular traffic speed. Valid data can be obtained while travelling at speeds up to 110 kilometres per hour.
Funded by Euroconsult New Technologies SA (2009 - 2010)

Smart parking

SmartParking has been devised as an intelligent system for advanced monitoring of free parking
lots in outdoor car parks. The system is also applicable indoors. Based on a monocular camera,
SmartParking can provide real time monitoring for up to 20 parking lots simultaneaously. Self-calibration
functions are included to endow the system with adaptabiity to zoom or motion changes.
Funded by IMAGINA Vision Artificial SA (2008 - 2011)

PDP is a stereo-based system for pedestrian detection and tracking. Pedestrians in the surrounding of the vehicle are analysed and tracked,
with special focus on those pedestrians located in the vehicle trajectory or on the edge to enter the vehicle reachable space. Warning to the driver
is issued in case of inminent danger.
Funded by Ficomirrors SA (2008)

Pedestrian daytime and nightime detection system using IR cameras.
Funded by Ficosa International SA (2007)

Lane Departure Warning System

LDWS provides accurate detection of road lane markings using a single microcamera. Distances to the left and right road markings
are computed with centimeric accuracy. The system exhibits robust performance in all weather conditions, both at day and at night.
Warnings are issued to the driver in case of inadvertent departure.
Funded by Ficomirrors SA (2006-2007)

Adaptive Light Control

ADL aims to the detection of the lane marks and the drivable area, when there are no lane marks, using a high dynamic range camera, specifically designed
to deal with challenging illumination situations such as tunnels, rain, fog, direct sun, etc.
Funded by IEE (International Electronics and Engineering) S. A. (2006)

PDP is a stereo-based system for pedestrian detection and tracking. Pedestrians in the surrounding of the vehicle are analysed and tracked,
with special focus on those pedestrians located in the vehicle trajectory or on the edge to enter the vehicle reachable space. The vehicle's hood
is triggered when the collision is unavoidable, in order to mitigate its effects on the pedestrians.
Funded by Instituto Nacional de Técnicas Aeroespaciales (INTA) (2004 - 2005)

Entrepreneurship

Since 2009, Dr. Parra is one of the co-founders of Vision Safety Technologies Ltd a spin-off company established
to commercialize computer vision systems for road infrastructure inspection. Vision Safety Technologies Ltd.,
was started as the first technological spin-off participated by the University of Alcalá.

Awards

DRIVERTIVE team wins the Prize for the Best Team with Full Automation in the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (GCDC 2016) held in Helmond, The Netherlands, in 28-29 May 2016.